Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in St. Johns County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
2 issues in zoning with high priority
Port St. John 10-Foot Fence Approval
A 24-home gated community squeezed between a biker bar/mobile home park and a 20-acre rural parcel won the right to 10-foot fences after years of noise, illegal dumping, U-Haul storage, and debris complaints. The catch: it must be built as one engineered phase within two years, north side only. The south boundary — bordering a retired couple's wooded 20 acres — got no relief because the board found no hardship there.
Private Helicopter Landing Site in Ashton Oaks Equestrian Community
Denied. A disabled Army veteran wanted to keep landing his helicopter on his 17-acre lot while waiting years for airport hangar space, but 19 of 27 households signed a petition against it, citing spooked horses, jet fuel fire risk near homes, insurance liability, and the community's equestrian character. The case also heads back to code enforcement.